NASA-UAP-VM006: Apollo 17 UAP Photograph — Triangular Formation (1972)
Date
December 1972
Document Type
Authentication
Official PublicationRedaction Status
✓ Fully ReleasedIssuing Authority
NASA / Manned Spacecraft Center
Summary
An archival photograph from the Apollo 17 mission (December 1972), released as NASA-UAP-VM006 via PURSUE Release 1 on May 8, 2026. The image shows the lunar surface and sky, with three dots in a triangular formation clearly visible in the lower right quadrant of the lunar sky upon magnification. The photograph was previously publicly available from NASA archives but had not received official government analysis. PURSUE Release 1 marks the first time the U.S. government has formally acknowledged this image as UAP-relevant and initiated an active investigation, including obtaining the original Apollo 17 film for analysis.
Significance
NASA-UAP-VM006 is exceptional among PURSUE Release 1 records because the AARO assessment explicitly states that "new preliminary US government analysis suggests the image feature is potentially the result of a physical object in the scene" and that "the government has obtained the original film from the Apollo 17 mission" for full analysis. This makes VM006 the only PURSUE Release 1 document where an active government investigation is ongoing and results are promised when completed — elevating it from an archival record to an open active case.